Heterochromia
by Neu Hertz
Summary: There's more than what meets the eyes when it comes to the new visitor of Forks – a beacon of light and darkness, of love and hate, and of peace and war. Slash, M/M, M/M/M(?) Ed/JacXOC.
1. Chapter 1: Haze

AN: Heterochromia is set in a timeline where Bella is with Edward, and the whole wedding/baby thing did not occur. They're all still in school. It's a semi-AU. Jacob is the alpha of his new pack, Sam's at the other end of the world. It's a story, let's just make it straight-forward. Many changes will take place, and you may hate me for it. Please don't read if you hate any of these.

Warning: Slash, M/M, M/M/M(?), Original character appearance. Break ups, love/hate, suicidal intentions, emotional situations, just about everything you can get in a supernatural story. Maybe OOC-ness, I don't know. You can be the judge of that.

This is my first Twilight fanfic, inspired by many things.

* * *

Chapter 1: Haze

* * *

Ever since the early mornings, the weather had been relentless. Rain poured never endingly, never once letting up. Roads which had indecent drainage systems caused ankle-high floods, forcing cars to slow their paces and thus causing minor jams. It hadn't helped that there was a fog clouding the air. Though not the worst, figures about twenty yards away would start to become mere shadows, and the residents were careful not to collide into each other or structures like lamp posts.

Forks held such a moody atmosphere, once would've thought an ill-omen was brewing.

Within the cafeteria, the vampires were enjoying the day as per norm. As dark and gloomy as the weather seemed, it was perfect for them night-stalkers. Though it wasn't actually necessary to be attending, seeing how dreaded the weather was, sometimes chilling at the school was a mere past-time, like a picnic in the park. They learnt to appreciate being surrounded by humans, and in a way, this was training to remain in the realm of the humans.

They took baby steps since the times they became vampires to control their behaviours. It took lots of moral support from each other, and resisting the delicious scent of blood was the biggest lesson to control. By now, they were tame to the life sustenance. It would take a massive amount of blood for them to actually trigger a bloodlust, but most were able to deter from the source and make do hunting for animals'.

And speaking of animal...

Edward threw a curious glance to a table where the mutts would settle themselves at on a rainy day. Being opposing species, the wolves were less than amused about breathing the same air as the blood-suckers. They usually took to the lawn near the track and field area, finding it a cosier location where they could breathe the nearby forest air. However, when the weather gets rough, even the tough requires shelter.

The rain should've been an incentive enough for the mutts to take shelter, but not a single one of them were here. Edward couldn't even catch a wiff of them during school hours. Maybe the pack had decided to take the day off. No matter, it wasn't his concern.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Bella had infiltrated his peripheral vision and he met her questioning eyes.

"Was wondering where the mutts are," Edward offered thoughtfully. Bella scoffed, clearly unimpressed by the title given to her childhood friend.

"Don't call them that. They have pride too," the human settled herself in the seat next to Edward, placing her food tray on the table. Without much of an effort, she had slipped into conversation with Alice, who started to playfully steal Bella's salad leaf by leaf.

Edward relaxed into his seat, throwing an arm on the back rest of his partner's. He decided to be a prick and infiltrate a few minds nearby, though there wasn't usually anything interesting. Usually it was the same few things. Closing his eyes and pretending to take a rest, he let his mind open and wander through the occupants of the room.

_What should I wear tonight? It's cold and raining heavily, but I want to wear something sexy _

_Man, there goes soccer training _

_Ugh, she's so noisy, can't she stop talking_

_I'm so sleepy_

_Vampire _

The single word has Edward's eyes snapping open and tensed. Jasper, who was seated right opposite him, was the first to notice the abrupt change in atmosphere regarding his family member. He doesn't show it, of course. He merely observed Edward further. The latter discretely glanced about. Where he sat wasn't an advantage to this, since most of his back was facing the cafeteria.

While scanning the periphery he could see, he focused on trying to source out the voice. It belonged to a male, ruling out about half the population settled in the cafeteria. The voice wasn't too deep, sounding like a sophomore level. Though many people don't actually notice, the older one gets, the rougher their voices tend to be.

_Vampire_

The single word had Edward on edge this time. There was a taunt behind the tone; he was sure of it. But other than this word, he couldn't pick up any other messages.

Finally, his vision stopped short at the mutts' table where someone, definitely not a werewolf he recognised, was seated. He felt his breath hold.

The boy seated there couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. He blended well with the lower grades, but seated alone, he looked far from just young. He had slightly messy jet black hair, and there were long, light brown strands that curtained his chest. For some perculiar reason, he had a brown eye patch over his right eye, while his hazel brown left stared straight into Edward's. He wore an oversized hoody and baggy pants, making his small physique looking even smaller. The boy couldn't have stood more than 5'3'', even smaller than Bella.

"Edward? What's wrong?" Bella's voice returned him to reality. Said person snapped out of his trance, and Edward blinked, as if in a daze. Bella wrapped a hand around his arm, and Edward realised belatedly that he was actually standing.

His vampire family were peerng at him in concern as well, along with a few curious looks from the patrons of the cafeteria. Edward merely shook his head.

"It's..." He trailed off when he returned to glanced at the wolves' sitting area. The boy was gone, but the loose cafeteria door was rocking in its wake, hinting that someone had just left. "...nothing. I'll be right back." The other didn't fail to catch the hint of seriousness. They started to speculate on what had Edward on his toes, as they watched him head towards the exit.

"Edward!" Bella called out, but not too loudly. "Should I come with?"

The vampire shook his head. "It's fine. I'll be back in a bit." With that, he disappeared from sight through the double cafeteria doors.

Looking a little defeated, Bella settled herself back into her seat, staring at her bowl of salad.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing bad," Alice piped up, trying to relieve the darkening mood. "Besides, you know that I would know if anything happens."

Bella appreciated her goof friend's nature whole heartedly. "Yeah, I know you will."

"So!" The pretty female vampire smiled, and her voice softens. "About the secret picnic you wanted to set up with Edward..."

* * *

Edward's nose scrunched a bit when he could smell the wolves. He knew the rain would usually make smells and scents muskier and stronger, but he didn't expect them to smell this strong, considering that they weren't even nearby. At least he thought so, because they weren't in sight.

What his eyes did catch, though, was the same boy some distance away. The kid walked fast for someone his size. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Edward took large, quick but silent strides to remove the distance between them. The boy didn't seem to respond at the approach. For some reason, though, Edward couldn't pick up any thoughts. It was a familiar sensation, like walking into an invisible wall... the same feeling he had when he first met Bella.

By the time Edward stood a few inches behind the boy, he had to wince a little. As he had expected, the boy was even shorter than Bella at full height. The clothes were so loose that one side of the black hoody was showing off half of one shoulder. The pants that were clearly ten sizes too big was pooling at his feet, the edges moistly darkened by rain picked up from the floor. That was when he noticed the boy didn't actually have shoes on as he padded through the sheltered walkway.

More importantly, why was the smell of the werewolves so strong...?

"Hey," Edward said, a little too gruff for his own likely. He wondered if it was because he couldn't tell what the boy was thinking now. Edward was sure he had called out loud enough, and his brows knitted when the boy merely continued walking without a care for the world. "Hey!" Edward snapped, annoyed this time. He reached out and forced the kid to turn around.

Alike the first time, the single hazel eye met the goldens ones of the vampire's, without a single emotion. For a second there, Edward felt like he was staring at a statue. Nothing was emitted from the boy. No emotion, no thoughts... His fale was pale like a mannequin, skin smooth and inhumanly perfect.

_Inhumanly._ This form of perfection could only reside in one species.

"You-"

"Cullen!" The name snapped through the air. Edward didn't miss that sharp apprehension in the voice he recognised well. What had his hand flinching was the very rare, underlying wolf's growl to be accompanied by it. Jacob was always careful about his canine persona in public. This was far from normal.

The werewolf didn't come alone. Pack members around his age were flanking him, and Jacob brushed past the vampire to grab the strange boy around his neck, almost like a clothesline wrestling move. It obviously wasn't to decapitate the small figure, but it sure seemed strong enough, because the boy stumbled a few paces back, only to find his feet when his back was pressed against Jacob's large chest.

The rest of the pack members assumed their places behind their alpha, their low snarls defeaned by the heavy rain. Edward wasn't too intimidated, because he knew that the wolves couldn't do anything. Not in this form, and most definitely not in public. Currently, they were all bark and no bite, pun not intended.

"I thought I told you not to leave Embry's side?" Jacob huffed against the black hair, taking the chance to ensure that the vampire hadn't left any scent on the boy.

"It's not his fault," the boy replied. Edward could've sworn there was a slight tingle in his spine when he heard the voice. The voice speaking and in thought were much to different than he had expected. Now, physically hearing it, the boy sounded dejected, lost and monotonous. Yet, it was gentle, smooth and... hiding things. "I walked off on my own to take a look around when Embry went to the wash."

"Don't_ ever_ do that again." If Edward knew better, Jacob sounded like a mother reprimanding a child. He narrowed his gaze when the werewolf's eyes met his. "Stay away from _him_."

Edward didn't know if the 'him' was referring to the boy or he. Either way, the warning was stern, but it didn't seem to faze the boy. In fact, the kid merely reached for the arm locked around his neck, and tugged on it. It seemed to let Jacob know that he had been holding on much too tight, and the latter released his grip, looking apologetic for a moment.

So this was probably why he was picking up the smell of wolves. The boy had been hanging out with them.

"Who is this, exactly?" Edward questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Not your concern, vampire."

Someone was really edgy today.

"I think it's only fair to let us know when someone not human is hanging around... Don't forget that we share this territory," Edward reminded. It was probably the lamest excuse he could think off, but his mind couldn't work too right just then. He was preoccupied by the stare from a single hazel eye.

Jacob frowned, but deep inside, he knew what the vampire was getting to. If the other clan wasn't aware of new members under their watch, they were somewhat warranted to kill the intruder. But knowing what the boy is, it probably wasn't a risk, but more of a... surprise.

"His name... Well, he doesn't actually have a name..." Jacob trailed off, looking down at the top of the jet black hair.

Edward had to raise a brow at that. It almost seemed like Jacob had picked him up from the roadside and adopted him like a lost puppy.

"Why didn't you give him one then?"

Jacob growled. "Shut up. I just didn't think about it. We've just been calling him 'kid' or 'boy'."

Edward merely nodded. That's what he had been referring to the male in his head. Not that he would really care, to be honest, but a name was important to anyone. It was a title to an individual that made them special and different. Knowing that this kid didn't have a name seemed so... sad.

A series of growls and snarls made their way when Edward took a step forward and grabbed the boy's chin. Jacob's was the loudest, rumbling deeply in his chest. An arm of his curled around the boy protectively. He knew Edward wouldn't be dumb to attack, seeing he was being outnumbered and all. But, he knew the vampire was mirroring that thought, and dared to make his move.

Tilting the boy's chin up, their eyes could only meet when the boy's neck craned backwards, pressing against Jacob's chest.

"Your eyes are vibrant hazel... yet they're so misty inside," Edward muttered, more to himself than anyone. "Staring into them, it's like getting lost... in a haze."

"Haze," the single word repeated.

"Do you like it?" The vampire mused. He relished the moment where his fingers brushed against the flawless skin, warm and comforting against his icy cold fingertips.

'Haze' nodded slightly, and Edward retreated. A sense of satisfaction washed over him, like he had won a trophy prize. Jacob, on the other hand, wasn't too happy.

"Edward! Jacob!" Bella's voice shouted from the other end of the walkway. Edward looked over his shoulder to see his family rushing over, concern written all over their faces. He could hear the wolves giving low noises of discontent at the arrival of the opposite race.

The human came up and stepped between her boyfriend and best friend, just for measure. It was then she noticed the person she had never seen before.

"Who..."

"This is Haze. He seems to be their new pack member," Edward offered. He didn't miss Jacob opening his mouth, about to say something. However, the wolf decided against it, and merely nodded slightly.

"Oh... nice to meet you," Bella offered a hand. Haze merely stared at it, and the brunette retracted her hand awkwardly. "Not a physical person, I see," she tried to smile, but that was when she saw Jacob's arm around the lithe person. Her thoughts tried to piece things together.

The fall out with Jacob wasn't pleasant after Bella decided to be with Edward, and they weren't on speaking terms too much. They would pass an occasional 'hi', but that was it. She figured that she ought to let time heal, and let Jacob come to her when he felt comfortable enough. At least, that's what she took the initiative of, sending him a text to say so. That was about a month ago.

Nevertheless, if Jacob was... well, _gay_, she wasn't going to judge. Jacob deserved to be loved, regardless of who the other was.

"We'll leave it as that," Jacob announced. He steered Haze away from the vampires. Their big crowd in the small walkway would start attracting atention, and from their stances, they could be easily assumed to be starting a fight. Both groups kept low profiles within the school grounds, and attracting attention would not be a positive outcome. Jacob cocked his head at his pack, the other three relaxing their stances and eyeing the vampires. It was only after Jacob passed them by did they follow suit obediently.

Edward and his family watched as the werwolves sauntered away. He was eyeing the baggy jeans that shuffled between Jacob's legs, since the latter's form had pretty much covered the small person.

_At least give the kid some shoes_, he caught himself thinking.

Mentally giving himself a slap, he turned his attention to Bella, who had been staring at him for a while.

"It's nothing," Edward brushed his girlfriend off just as she was about to speak. "The boy's just very peculiar, that's all."

"You mean Haze?" Bella questioned, briefly looking over at the werewolf pack who entered the building.

Edward nodded as he placed an arm around his girlfirend's shoulders, being the one to steer her back towards the cafeteria. As he approached the other vampires, he noticed Alice held a frown, biting her lip.

"What's wrong?"

"We came out because there was a quick vision of you being in a stand-off with the werewolves," Alice said slowly.

"Nothing happened," Edward gave an assuring smile. He knew Alice was apprehensive when it came to family, and especially when it involved the werewolves. Edward was about to walk past Alice when the lady grasped his arm in a grip. It was a tight one, that had Edward halting in his steps.

"It's not the wolves I'm concerned about," she spoke softly, in a tone Edward couldn't decipher as confused or fearful. "I saw you, Jacob and his pack."

"And?"

"I didn't see Haze."

* * *

Do leave your review, comments and thoughts. Constructive criticism will be acknowledged. I will personally ignore any hate/rubbish comments, because as I said, if you didn't like it, you shouldn't have read it.

I am in your care

-Neu


	2. Chapter 2: Wolf eye

Chapter 2: Wolf eye

* * *

Edward pulled a face that was caught between surprise, and skepticism. Alice didn't miss it, and she gave a pout.

"Hey, don't look into it so much. As you said before, sometimes you can't see the individuals clearly because you don't know who they are."

"This is different!" Alice insisted, going as far as to tug on the male vampire's sleeve. "Yes, there are times when I can't see the person's image clearly, but at least I know they're there. But for this 'Haze' person, there wasn't a slightest hint of him. Not a shadow, and neither a sihouette. It's like he doesn't even exist."

Edward pressed his lips into a thin line, brows knitted into a frown. Alice's unease had rubbed onto the other vampires and Bella, and they all had their eyes on the single vampire who was the most relaxed at the present moment. Even Jasper looked on the verge of giving his two cents.

"Alright, I'll be cautious of him," Edward offered, hoping to appease the others. He supposed he could leave out the note about being unable to read Haze's thoughts. It could worsen the situation. That said, he gave a belated mental smack. He could've abstracted the boy's details from Jacob, or one of the other mutts by prying into their heads.

The bell rung and Edward was thankful the others dropped the matter... for now.

The rest of the day went by without any dramas, but Bella did notice that Edward's mind seemed pretty occupied.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow," the vampire promised as he laid a gentle kiss on Bella's forehead. Bella merely smiled and nodded, snuggled warmly under her thick blanket.

The rain outside remained as heavy as it did since morning, and since the evenings, the temperatures have dropped significantly. Winds were howling against the windows, causing the frames to rattle in their wake. The leaves of the trees outside were also causing an uproar, creating a skin-crawling symphony in the dead of the night.

"Good night," Bella replied, brushing the back of her fingers against the smooth, icy cold skin.

Edward returned a smile of his own before stepping away from Bella's bed. He lifted the window high enough to let himself out, but careful not to let the rain get into the room. His eyes met Bella's once more before he closed the window, leaping off the ledge.

The rain immediately drenched his coat and pants, but he didn't worry about it. The cold was nothing to him; in fact, he could hardly feel it. Edward treaded towards the trees, having not brought his car. He figured that he would rather walk through the rain than to sit in his car and risk wetting the seats. Besides, he could take the chance to hunt. Though he would prefer to do it with his family and on a good day, he was starting to feel hungry. He could simply tackle a small meal, like a fox, unlike the usual forest deers unless he chanced upon one.

Once the darkness of the forest shielded him, Edward ran. He sped through the forest, his eyesight easily allowing his navigation to take him to the hunting grounds. When he reached it, he slowed to a human walking pace, stepping around carefully. The smell of the musky forest filled his senses, creating a slight disadvantage. He would have to depend on his eyesight and hearing, and the combination of it was essentially all he needed.

Though the time he had spent out here was short, about ten minutes, Edward thought twice about continuing his hunt. The heavy rain must've caused his preys to go into hiding. Truth be told, he could probably wait for the hunt the next day. It was no big deal. The moisture that had already seeped through his jacket was causing his shirt to stick onto his skin rather uncomfortably.

Deciding to head back, Edward started in the direction of his home when he heard a shuffle. It was almost inaudible, but he was sure his senses had picked up the sound. It was a fair distance away, and the vampire narrowed his gaze, freezing in his spot to listen out to any further hints to the location of his potential prey.

_Snap_, of a twig. Now he could pin point it's exact spot. Edward didn't waste another second. He burst into a run.

Whatever creature he was hunting for seemed to notice his approach, and seemed to begin shuffling away. Feeling the thrill of the hunt sinking into his core, Edward merely hastened, confident he could tackle the animal as he always would.

There. Edward caught a movement disappearing behind a large tree. The creature didn't run out from the other side, but even if it did, its fate was sealed. It will die in his hands tonight.

Swerving the corner, the vampire did the first move of the hunting protocol. He pounced, throwing his entire weight against the figure. He did it at full force, though probably unnecessary even for a large deer. His power alone was enough to tackle down the large creature... but Edward's eyes widened when he realised that his prey wasn't a deer.

One thing he did register was that whatever he had seized was much smaller than expected, and there wasn't a single possibilty of it holding them both up. In fact, the overpowering tackle had him and his prey crashing into the ground much too abruptly even for the vampire to process. The force produced was so much that Edward heard an unmistakable snapping of wood when they hit the ground. He grunted when his elbows scraped against the roots of the tree roughly. His body landed on the small one, hard, knocking the wind out of it. It let out a sharp gasp as well, caused by the compression of the body slamming down.

Edward let out a soft curse under his breath, coming to brace himself on his hands and knees. The vampired recovered quickly, only to freeze in shock. Under him then was Haze, head tilted away and mouth dropped ajar. The smaller boy was breathing hard, hands grasping the tree roots by his side tightly.

"God, what-" Edward uttered out, still dumb-founded by the sight of someone he had least expected. "Why are you..." He didn't know what to say. What exactly was the boy doing here in the first place? This was the Cullen's side. The werewolves knew better than to step over the boundaries. Of course, they were stricter in this aspect, since the wolves were more aggressive about the whole territory thing. However, they abided by it just as well, so why was Haze here...?

A soft keening noise escaped the boy, and Edward reared up onto his knees first, before standing to fully remove all his weight off the other. He took a good look at Haze underneath, eyeing the yet another oversized long-sleeved shirt that now he could smell faintly of a particular werewolf. He frowned a little when the boy didn't seem to respond in any other way except the contorted look on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" The vampire questioned, concern flooding his system. He couldn't tell what was wrong, especially since he couldn't read Haze's thoughts. The mental shield started to annoy him as he tried to break through it, but to no avail. "Come on," he urged in slight impatience, grabbing Haze's arm. He tugged, before feeling his blood freeze when a slick sounding noise reached his ears.

Haze let out a soft yelp before biting down on it. He tried to resist the arm by pulling back, but it had been a pathetic effort.

It was then he heard howls on the other side of the stream. It belonged to the werewolves, that Edward recognised. The cry sounded desperate.

Edward glanced back down at Haze. This time, he realised what had gone wrong. The side of the boy's shirt at the level of his abdomen was starting to turn a dark shade of red. Edward sucked in air through his teeth. He had almost prepared himself for a bloodlust to occur. However, it never came. Edward continued blinking at the sight of the blood. He was feeling nothing. He _smelt_ nothing. It was like looking at red paint.

What in the world...

Snapping out of his trance when another howl echoed, Edward gritted his teeth as he positioned himself carefully. Sliding his arm under Haze's upper back and under his knees, he told the other to brace himself as he lifted the body off the ground. Haze let out another strangled whimper, hand coming to grasp the vampire's wet jacket. Edward winced at the cause of injury. The snapping of wood earlier was probably due to this particular root that gave way under their weights, causing its jagged edges to injure the boy.

Once more, the werewolves howled.

"Damn it," Edward cursed out. As carefully as he could, he maneuvered his hands so that it could lift the hem of the large shirt, only to realise that Haze wore nothing underneath. Not even an undergarment. He avoided looking lower than the abdomen, focusing on trying to check out the wound. Edward must've accidentally brushed against it, because the boy jerked and winced.

For some reason, Haze wasn't healing from this wound as werewolves normally should. Whether it was because the boy was weak or under nutitioned, he didn't know. All he could comprehend was that he had to get the boy back to Carl before the wound started getting infected.

However, it didn't seem like the werewolves were going to rest trying to get to their pack mate. They were howling, possibly trying to call Haze to come back. They were probably at the border, and it was what held them back from coming here. Edward figured he could drop the werewolves a quick message that Haze was going to get treated.

The moment he was in sight of the werewolf pack, they started to cause a ruckus. The three present were roaring, barking and snapping as if throwing profanities at the approaching vampire. Edward would've winced at the extreme hostility the werwolves were showing, especially a certain brown one.

Jacob looked furious, his fangs bared every moment as he stormed at the banks. Only a thin, invisible thread was currently holding him back from tearing the vampire's throat out, and Edward pondered for a second if he ought to worry for his life. The little stream some ten feet wide was the only thing separating them, and the werewolves could easily hop over without expending a single amount of energy.

"Look, there was an accident, and he got hurt. He's not healing, so I'm taking him back for Carlisle to treat him," Edward tried to reason, though with the mutts, he probably shouldn't have bothered.

Jacob snarled. _Give him back to us. We can do it, _the mental projection sounded.

"I caused his injury. I'm just taking responsibilities. Plus, we're the ones with a doctor on our side. You can't take him to the hospital, can you?" Edward retorted. Sometimes, the mutts have such thick-heads.

Jacob let out a growl, pacing along the water's edge, as if contemplating if he should jump.

"He'll be fine, I swear. I don't want to be the cause of a war here. Once he's wrapped up and good, I'll bring him to the border," the vampire promised.

The massive, brown wolf let out a huff. The grey-ish one by his side, Embry, let out a growl, questioning if the vampire could be trusted. Jacob turned to look at Edward.

_Fine. Get his wounds fixed_. The alpha snapped at the smaller, sandy brown one flanking his side when it let out a whimper of disagreement. Seth immediately backed down, tail between his legs. Jacob glowered at the vampire on the opposite bank. _I won't hesitate to rip your throat out and use your limbs as chew toys if anything happens to him. _

"Fine," Edward responded. He watched as Jacob backed away from the stream banks, before turning and returning to the forest. Embry and Seth followed shortly after giving curt looks at the vampire.

Edward wasted little time heading back to the Cullen's estate.

* * *

The rest of the Cullens were tending to their own hobbies, like reading or chatting when they heard their last member returning. Edward came running through, entering the house through the front a little too roughly. The door had slammed, catching the attention of the residents right away. Esme and Carlisle came out from the kitchen, while his siblings rushed down the stairway in concern.

"Carl! I need you to help him," Edward said quickly, bringing his load to the living area. He could hear the others hustling behind, interested to see what Edward had brought back. When they saw who it was though...

"Why is he here?" Rosalie was the first to voice her discontent. Her nose scrunched up at the smell of werewolf, which probably originated from the shirt more than anything.

"I was hunting," Edward explained as he placed Haze on the couch. The boy merely winced as he was being put down, making adjustements so that he sat on the hip of the uninjured side.. Carlisle set the first aid kit on the floor next to the boy's legs, opening it to fish out the disinfectant and gauze. "I tackled him by accident, and he hurt himself during the fall."

Someone else was about to make a comment when Carlisle interrupted, talking to the boy.

"I'm going to lift your shirt, alright?" He warned slightly, reaching over. Haze didn't make a noise, or respond with an action. He merely sat there, staring at the blond vampire blankly. Carlisle proceeded and took care when he reached for the shirt that reach half the boy's thigh. It was then he noticed, and so did Edward, that the skin was slightly marred with thin, but evident scars. They shared the same skin tone as Haze's normal skin, but were slightly ridged and raised. Carlisle's lips thinned, knowing that he might not like what he would see after.

Haze didn't even seem to care when Carlisle raised the shirt high enough to see the wound at kidney level. He had to grit his teeth tight when he saw tell-tale signs that confirmed his suspicions. Ignoring those for now, Carlisle started to clean away the blood to see the wound better. It was deep, but thankfully short and didn't require stitches. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Rosalie retreat, Emmett tailing her. Esme had gone off to grab a pail of water and cloth.

Carlisle made quick work of his task, cleaning the wound, disinfecting and bandaging it up. It wasn't serious, and he told Edward to let the boy take a rest. He feel he ought to chat with Haze out of concern, but he figured that could be left for later. Edward picked the lithe figure up, bridal style and headed up to his room.

"Carl, something's not right with that kid," Alice broke the silence first, after following adpotive father to the kitchen where he could keep the first aid kit.

"No, everything about him screams mysterious, indeed," the oldest vampire commented back, sliding the red box into the overhead cupboard. He turned and glanced over at Alice who was chewing on her lip.

"There's something... wrong about him. No, everything is wrong about him," Alice corrected herself as he stepped closer to Carlisle, not wanting to voice her opinions too loudly. "Firstly, I could not see him in my visions. The first time I thought was a slip up because I didn't know him, but a moment ago, I was looking out for Edward. I saw him hunting, and tackling a target, but I couldn't see what it was. It turned out to be Haze, again."

"Also," this time Jasper spoke. "I'm sure you noticed that there's no scent to him, or his blood." He of all the vampires was the most sensitive to it, but he had little response when he saw the wound. Jasper merely blinked at the sight.

"I know. There is much to question about that boy, but I don't want to cause him any further discomfort. It's hard to explain, but there's more than what meets the eye when it comes to him," Carlisle wrapped his arm around Esme's shoulder, bringing her close. "Though he looked expressionless, I could tell that he was restraining himself from acting out."

"'Acting out'?" Alice questioned.

"Yes," Carlisle nodded. "That boy had probably endured too much, for someone so young."

* * *

The only spot Edward could place the boy was his couch, really. Haze didn't make a single noise as he was being carried up the stairs or put down, merely sitting there. The vampire walked to his closet, pulling out a shirt and pants before returning to Haze's side.

"Take your shirt off," Edward told the other.

At first, Haze blinked at him. The single hazel eye averted to the floor first, before he swung his legs to the floor. He stood up, grabbing the edge of the shirt and pulling it upwards. However, when his hands were at the level of his wound, he winced, unable to continue. Edward scolded himself a little for suggesting that move. He put the shirt on the couch and helped the boy.

When he got the shirt off, he felt his body tense up. If what he saw on the legs were bad, the marks that adorned the kid's chest did it no justice. There were scars everywhere. Along the innerside of the arms were horizontal slashes, cutting across the entire arm itself. On Haze's chest, some were thin and long, but others were rounded, almost like-

"!" Edward's hands reached out, fingers tracing what were unmistakable bite marks. Even the bites were varying, ranging from a twin penetrations, to double crescents that were positioned one above the other. Where these marks lay would've made Edward's blood turn cold, had it been warm. "Haze, you..."

The vampire paused when he saw the eyepatch of the boy's hanging. It must've gone loose when he helped Haze removed the shirt over his head. From where Edward could see, Haze's inner eye was... black, and it started vertically, lateral to the nose bridge. Edward's eyes narrowed at the sight of it, and the hand that was on Haze's chest raised up, thumb carefully pushing away the eyepatch.

In reflex, the boy kept his eyes close, but the vampire felt the rare sensation of nervousness creeping on his skin. The tissue surrounding the hidden eye was black as well, creating a well defined border. It looked almost as if he had eye liner on, but Edward knew clearly that it was not make-up.

When Haze opened it slowly, Edward froze in his spot, staring into a gold-colored, but certain wolf's eye.

* * *

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Haze is very different, indeed. There's more to his personality, and more of it will be revealed in the next chapter :) He seems dull at the moment, but that's just how he is.

Hope you could spare a moment an review. It would be greatly appreciated!

-Neu


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